Imagery in the Pearl
Imagery in The Pearl
“And the beauty of the pearl, winking and glimmering in the light of the little candle, cozened his brain with its beauty. So lovely it was, so soft, and its own music came from it-its music of promise and delight, its guarantee of the future, of comfort, of security. Its warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult. It closed a door on hunger. And as he stared at it Kino’s eyes softened and his face relaxed. He could see the little image of the consecrated candle reflected in the soft surface of the pearl, and he heard again in his ears the lovely music of the undersea, the tone of the diffused green light of the sea bottom. Juana, glancing secretly at him, saw him smile. And because they were in some way one thing and one purpose, she smiled with him. And they began this day with hope.”-pg.39-40 This passage has an apparent imagery that cannot be missed. You can picture the elegance of the pearl. It is a velvety, exquisite pearl that can never be forgotten by any average person. The pearl is an enticing, alluring, and an attractive object that cannot be overlooked. Steinbeck makes the pearl look like a forbidden fruit, the epitome of all pearls. He (Steinbeck) explains what Kino thought would happen if he kept the pearl, although, quite the opposite of what he was thinking would happen later on in the novel. The pearl was a priceless object, so Kino thought. “Its warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult. It closed a door on hunger.” The pearl is described as a savior in Kino’s life. Kino believed that the pearl would provide for all their needs. In the end, the pearl did not do any of the sort. The author did a good job at trying to deceit us into believing that the pearl would lead the protagonists to a happy ending and would supply for their necessities. Steinbeck did an outstanding job in portraying the pearl in a beautiful, eye-catching way. The way Steinbeck
“And the beauty of the pearl, winking and glimmering in the light of the little candle, cozened his brain with its beauty. So lovely it was, so soft, and its own music came from it-its music of promise and delight, its guarantee of the future, of comfort, of security. Its warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult. It closed a door on hunger. And as he stared at it Kino’s eyes softened and his face relaxed. He could see the little image of the consecrated candle reflected in the soft surface of the pearl, and he heard again in his ears the lovely music of the undersea, the tone of the diffused green light of the sea bottom. Juana, glancing secretly at him, saw him smile. And because they were in some way one thing and one purpose, she smiled with him. And they began this day with hope.”-pg.39-40 This passage has an apparent imagery that cannot be missed. You can picture the elegance of the pearl. It is a velvety, exquisite pearl that can never be forgotten by any average person. The pearl is an enticing, alluring, and an attractive object that cannot be overlooked. Steinbeck makes the pearl look like a forbidden fruit, the epitome of all pearls. He (Steinbeck) explains what Kino thought would happen if he kept the pearl, although, quite the opposite of what he was thinking would happen later on in the novel. The pearl was a priceless object, so Kino thought. “Its warm lucence promised a poultice against illness and a wall against insult. It closed a door on hunger.” The pearl is described as a savior in Kino’s life. Kino believed that the pearl would provide for all their needs. In the end, the pearl did not do any of the sort. The author did a good job at trying to deceit us into believing that the pearl would lead the protagonists to a happy ending and would supply for their necessities. Steinbeck did an outstanding job in portraying the pearl in a beautiful, eye-catching way. The way Steinbeck